“If a pigeon’s wings are a timestamp then Reyes points us toward the intimacy nestled between each thrust. On the journey that is Puerto Rican history, Papi Pichón‘s mythology boasts both omnipresence and oppression, resistance and culpability. Following in the footsteps of Pedro Pietri, Reyes unearths the complexities of diaspora by offering not just a retelling, but a revision of history, one steeped in the lived experiences of Puerto Ricans. Reyes creates a larger than life figure in Papi Pichón, not to uncritically stand above, but to show how even our myths are weighed down by a nuanced heritage. In this collection, Puerto Ricans labor, love, fail, dance, hurt, box, die, and fly. Papi Pichón becomes a translator, a truth teller, a companion, a metaphor for our continued survival.”
— Noel Quiñones, Emmy Award Winning Artist